This animation is a brief tour of several prominent features of the Moon's terrain: Tycho crater, the south pole, and the South Pole-Aitken basin. The height of the terrain is color-coded, with blues and greens representing low altitudes and reds representing high altitudes. The view is match-moved to a companion piece showing the Moon in natural colors.
The elevation map comprises low-resolution data from a number of sources, including the Clementine and JAXA/SELENE spacecraft, combined with high-resolution insets for Tycho and the region near the south pole. One of the goals of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission is the creation of a high-resolution elevation map of the entire surface of the Moon.", "items": [], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 354803, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3582/#media_group_354803", "widget": "Video player", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "Moon false color topo flyover", "items": [ { "id": 343640, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 499130, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003500/a003582/spflycolor.0200.jpg", "filename": "spflycolor.0200.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Moon false color topo flyover", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 343638, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 499129, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003500/a003582/spflycolor.0200_web.png", "filename": "spflycolor.0200_web.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Moon false color topo flyover", "width": 320, "height": 180, "pixels": 57600 } }, { "id": 343635, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 499126, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003500/a003582/spflycolor_720p.m2v", "filename": "spflycolor_720p.m2v", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Moon false color topo flyover", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 343636, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 499127, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003500/a003582/spflycolor_720p30.mp4", "filename": "spflycolor_720p30.mp4", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Moon false color topo flyover", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 343637, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 499128, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003500/a003582/frames/1280x720_16x9_30p/", "filename": "1280x720_16x9_30p", "media_type": "Frames", "alt_text": "Moon false color topo flyover", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 343639, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 499131, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003500/a003582/spflycolor_720p.webmhd.webm", "filename": "spflycolor_720p.webmhd.webm", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Moon false color topo flyover", "width": 960, "height": 540, "pixels": 518400 } }, { "id": 343634, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 499125, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003500/a003582/spflycolor_512x288.m1v", "filename": "spflycolor_512x288.m1v", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Moon false color topo flyover", "width": 512, "height": 288, "pixels": 147456 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 354804, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3582/#media_group_354804", "widget": "Single image", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "Elevation key", "items": [ { "id": 343641, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 499132, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003500/a003582/spflycolor_bar.png", "filename": "spflycolor_bar.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Elevation key", "width": 320, "height": 90, "pixels": 28800 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 354805, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3582/#media_group_354805", "widget": "Single image", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "Tycho crater and its bright ejecta rays are among the youngest and most recognizable features on the Moon. The crater is 85 kilometers (50 miles) wide and 4700 meters (15,400 feet) deep. The central peak is 2400 meters (7900 feet) above the crater floor.", "items": [ { "id": 343644, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 499135, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003500/a003582/spflycolor_print.1349.jpg", "filename": "spflycolor_print.1349.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Tycho crater and its bright ejecta rays are among the youngest and most recognizable features on the Moon. The crater is 85 kilometers (50 miles) wide and 4700 meters (15,400 feet) deep. The central peak is 2400 meters (7900 feet) above the crater floor.", "width": 2560, "height": 1440, "pixels": 3686400 } }, { "id": 343643, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 499134, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003500/a003582/spflycolor_print.1349_web.png", "filename": "spflycolor_print.1349_web.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Tycho crater and its bright ejecta rays are among the youngest and most recognizable features on the Moon. The crater is 85 kilometers (50 miles) wide and 4700 meters (15,400 feet) deep. The central peak is 2400 meters (7900 feet) above the crater floor.", "width": 320, "height": 180, "pixels": 57600 } }, { "id": 343642, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 499133, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003500/a003582/spflycolor_print.1349.tif", "filename": "spflycolor_print.1349.tif", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Tycho crater and its bright ejecta rays are among the youngest and most recognizable features on the Moon. The crater is 85 kilometers (50 miles) wide and 4700 meters (15,400 feet) deep. The central peak is 2400 meters (7900 feet) above the crater floor.", "width": 2560, "height": 1440, "pixels": 3686400 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 354806, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3582/#media_group_354806", "widget": "Single image", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "The floors of deep craters near the poles, including bowl-shaped Shackleton near the center of this view of the south pole, are in permanent shadow and therefore cold and dark enough to harbor potential deposits of water ice.", "items": [ { "id": 343647, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 499138, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003500/a003582/spflycolor_print.2100.jpg", "filename": "spflycolor_print.2100.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "The floors of deep craters near the poles, including bowl-shaped Shackleton near the center of this view of the south pole, are in permanent shadow and therefore cold and dark enough to harbor potential deposits of water ice.", "width": 2560, "height": 1440, "pixels": 3686400 } }, { "id": 343646, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 499137, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003500/a003582/spflycolor_print.2100_web.png", "filename": "spflycolor_print.2100_web.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "The floors of deep craters near the poles, including bowl-shaped Shackleton near the center of this view of the south pole, are in permanent shadow and therefore cold and dark enough to harbor potential deposits of water ice.", "width": 320, "height": 180, "pixels": 57600 } }, { "id": 343645, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 499136, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003500/a003582/spflycolor_print.2100.tif", "filename": "spflycolor_print.2100.tif", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "The floors of deep craters near the poles, including bowl-shaped Shackleton near the center of this view of the south pole, are in permanent shadow and therefore cold and dark enough to harbor potential deposits of water ice.", "width": 2560, "height": 1440, "pixels": 3686400 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 354807, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3582/#media_group_354807", "widget": "Single image", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "The South Pole-Aitken basin, roughly 2100 kilometers (1300 miles) wide and 10 kilometers (6 miles) deep, is perhaps the largest impact feature in the solar system. It lies on the far side of the Moon, the hemisphere never visible from Earth, and was found only after spacecraft began visiting the Moon in the 1960s.", "items": [ { "id": 343651, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 499142, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003500/a003582/spflycolor_print.2550.jpg", "filename": "spflycolor_print.2550.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "The South Pole-Aitken basin, roughly 2100 kilometers (1300 miles) wide and 10 kilometers (6 miles) deep, is perhaps the largest impact feature in the solar system. It lies on the far side of the Moon, the hemisphere never visible from Earth, and was found only after spacecraft began visiting the Moon in the 1960s.", "width": 2560, "height": 1440, "pixels": 3686400 } }, { "id": 343649, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 499140, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003500/a003582/spflycolor_print.2550_web.png", "filename": "spflycolor_print.2550_web.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "The South Pole-Aitken basin, roughly 2100 kilometers (1300 miles) wide and 10 kilometers (6 miles) deep, is perhaps the largest impact feature in the solar system. It lies on the far side of the Moon, the hemisphere never visible from Earth, and was found only after spacecraft began visiting the Moon in the 1960s.", "width": 320, "height": 180, "pixels": 57600 } }, { "id": 343650, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 499141, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003500/a003582/spflycolor_print.2550_thm.png", "filename": "spflycolor_print.2550_thm.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "The South Pole-Aitken basin, roughly 2100 kilometers (1300 miles) wide and 10 kilometers (6 miles) deep, is perhaps the largest impact feature in the solar system. It lies on the far side of the Moon, the hemisphere never visible from Earth, and was found only after spacecraft began visiting the Moon in the 1960s.", "width": 80, "height": 40, "pixels": 3200 } }, { "id": 343648, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 499139, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003500/a003582/spflycolor_print.2550.tif", "filename": "spflycolor_print.2550.tif", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "The South Pole-Aitken basin, roughly 2100 kilometers (1300 miles) wide and 10 kilometers (6 miles) deep, is perhaps the largest impact feature in the solar system. It lies on the far side of the Moon, the hemisphere never visible from Earth, and was found only after spacecraft began visiting the Moon in the 1960s.", "width": 2560, "height": 1440, "pixels": 3686400 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 354808, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/3582/#media_group_354808", "widget": "Basic text", "title": "For More Information", "caption": "", "description": "See [http://www.nasa.gov/lro](http://www.nasa.gov/lro)", "items": [], "extra_data": {} } ], "studio": "svs", "funding_sources": [ "LRO" ], "credits": [ { "role": "Animator", "people": [ { "name": "Ernie Wright", "employer": "UMBC" }, { "name": "Marte Newcombe", "employer": "Global Science and Technology, Inc." } ] }, { "role": "Producer", "people": [ { "name": "Andrew Freeberg", "employer": "NASA/GSFC" } ] }, { "role": "Scientist", "people": [ { "name": "James Garvin", "employer": "NASA/GSFC" } ] } ], "missions": [], "series": [ "LRO Pre-launch", "The Moon" ], "tapes": [ "LRO Pre-Launch Resource Tape (Produced by: Andy Acuna)" ], "papers": [], "datasets": [ { "name": "DEM", "common_name": "", "platform": "KAGUYA", "sensor": "Laser Altimeter (LALT)", "type": "Other", "organizations": [ "JAXA" ], "description": "Formerly known as \"SELENE\".", "credit": "", "url": "", "date_range": "2007-12-30 to 2008-03-31" }, { "name": "Tycho DEM", "common_name": "", "platform": null, "sensor": null, "type": "Other", "organizations": [], "description": "Margot et al.", "credit": "", "url": "http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=00841991", "date_range": "1998" }, { "name": "Unified Lunar Control Network 2005", "common_name": "ULCN 2005", "platform": null, "sensor": null, "type": "Data Compilation", "organizations": [ "USGS" ], "description": "The ULCN 2005 (Unified Lunar Control Network 2005) is a lunar control point network that precisely measured 272,931 pieces of data produced by the USGS using existing lunar imagery or data from the Clementine and other observations.", "credit": "", "url": "", "date_range": "1970 to 2005" } ], "nasa_science_categories": [ "Planets & Moons" ], "keywords": [ "Aitken Basin", "Elevation data", "False Color", "For Educators", "HDTV", "Lunar Elevation Map", "Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter", "Lunar Surface", "Lunar Topography", "Moon", "South Pole", "Tycho Crater" ], "recommended_pages": [], "related": [], "sources": [], "products": [], "newer_versions": [], "older_versions": [], "alternate_versions": [] }